Number Two Son’s reactions to the clip was that it was “culturally ignorant.” He no longer watches the Disney Channel. My personal take is that it is both racist and unfunny. Even Baljit’s portrayal on Phineas and Ferb is better than this, as it is funny most of the time and doesn’t drive all of its humor out of weird versions of Indian culture. There is a chance that Jessie“can get better and more nuanced in how it treats Ravi, but I’m not holding my breath.

Categories:

NOTE: 8Asians.com is a community, and we thank you for being a part of it. While we welcome and appreciate differences in opinion, if you're rude or you're promoting spam, we have a right to edit or delete your comment. Read our comment policy for more information.

If you see a comment that violates the 8Asians.com comment policy, you may flag the comment by mousing over the comment and clicking "FLAG."

Facebook Comments (Beta)

ellebee11

I was totally distracted by the other kid’s gay dance. Is he supposed to be gay? I think Ravi was the most normal kid in the clip! We have 1 kid that wants to be a part of Menudo, and another kid that torched her doll’s face off. I’m surprised only the face got torched, and not the hair. lol… i know i know! that was racist! But Jessie should have made THAT joke when she saw the doll. of course if she did, then Disney would have the NAACP knocking on their door. If Ravi didn’t have the accent, I don’t think it would have been as racist, and just more educational…..

Laciemn

I think it was sort of both. I mean, there’s such a big reaction to the kid’s garb. Not to mention the lady corrects the young kid for making fun of it, yet then she pronounces it wrong and when he gently corrects her she gets this unpleasant look and goes, “sure,” in this “no one cares about your silly culture” tone.

http://www.bigwowo.com/ bigWOWO

Yeah, I think it was racist. Indian culture has definitely come to the U.S. in force with Bollywood, etc., but this clip seemed only to make fun of the poor kid for loving his culture enough to show it. It would be one thing if Indian culture were an equal or near-equal to the dominant culture, but in this case, it’s simply subjecting another culture for the sake of an unfunny joke.

yeh…so i am happy I am not the only one gripping about this. I think the Ravi character has gotten worse in terms of his portrayal just over this past season. I talked to my cousins, all under the age of 14, and none of them said they liked the show, but worse one of them told me a story about how he got picked on by kids who used lines from the show. He’s doing fine, but the incident goes to show that the protrayal has real world consequences and in a world where “bullying” is a “big concern” Disney sure seems oblivious to that content-real world-nexus.

socalmoslem

@ellebee11 you know i been thinking about this show all day- after my own blog rant about it a while ago- I wanted to respond to your comment because the character you refer to is also OVERLY stereotyped. Zuri is adopted at birth from “Africa”. Disney doesn’t even bother to say where in Africa, rather refers to her birth country as the continent, similar to the idea that if your from “Africa” you must speak “African.” they don’t ever refer to her actual birth place/country reflecting the idea that its just not “relevant”- but I can’t accept that, because we got a county where folks don’t even know where the country we are fighting a war in is geographically placed. Worse, and more overt, Zuri exhibits the stereotypical tendencies of an African American “woman”- the neck wagging, smart mouthing, sassiness and self interest- she represents a one-dimensional character without any respect to the qualities that she as an individual might possess outside of her ethnic background. I watch Disney and they can produce “entertaining” shows, but Jessie relies on racism, overly simplistic stereotyped approach in order to keep the show going more than any other shows Disney has going on. Its not intelligent, its not funny and its just outright racist if you ask me.

BriannaWalker

I never understood it. I have international friends, especially in India, and this role on the Disney Channel does not do that ethnicity justice. I don’t watch “Jessie”, and I especially don’t watch Disney. Disney needs more diversity. It actually quite lacks it. I still can’t understand why Brenda Song never got her own show…

http://twitter.com/JakeAdamsDotNet Adam Jacobson

I am a multicultural analyst at Mintel working on an Asians & Entertainment report for marketers set for a July 2012 release date and happened to be channel surfing and was immediately shocked by what I saw on the Disney Channel. The program “Jessie,” much like other “It’s A Laugh Productions” shows that appear on this network, is clearly targeting the Tweens. They are likely to be greatly influenced by what they see and view. So when I saw the character of Ravi on “Jessie,” I was immediately befuddled. What is the purpose or intent of this character as the creators have strived to provide a multiracial cast — something also evident with other pre-teen shows like A.N.T. Farm and the now-concluded Wizards of Waverly Place, which was significant for its Latino influence. Yet Wizards was positive in its portrayal of Latinos, and if I am of Indian heritage I’d very much put into question whether the Ravi character is playing to Anglo stereotypes of Indians, and is buffoonish and even racist in the minds of Asians. I’m interested in learning more about the attitudes of Asian actor portrayals, including Dev Patel, who has become the go-to guy for films that are viewed among Asians as more British than Indian – i.e. Slumdog Millionaire and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. [email protected]

http://twitter.com/NathanJohnson13 Nathan Johnson

She probably didn’t want a show. And her character that she played on Suite Life on Deck and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody was just annoying as heck. It was the reason I didn’t like the show very much. Her character wasn’t funny, but rather annoying and dumb.

Jennifer Dunn

I think her character in contrast to Ashley’s (Maddie) was great. It wasn’t the normal “asians are smart and blondes are dumb” stereotype, it cancelled it out in a great way. I think it was one of Disneys best moves to do that to be honest.

Nathan4321

That’s true.

http://www.facebook.com/JessiLovesPixar Jessi Ann Story

She’s from Uganda. On the gotcha day episode, Morgan and Christina said that.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=619154119 Rajan Patel

The actor who plays Ravi, Karan Brar, was born in Washington state, doesn’t even have an accent and speaks fluent English. What exactly are the writers of this show thinking?

I disagree all the way! I love the show Jessie! Ravi is funny, and it is racist in no way shape or form. Only an idiot would think it is. It’s purely for humor so why don’t you guys just shut up. But never mind me, it’s your opinion that counts.